Adjustable horse-collar.



A. L. BURKE.

ADJUSTABLE HORSE COLLAR.

APPLICATION FILED snm'. 7, 1909.

Patented June' 7, 1910.

ANnaEw a. GRAHAM co. PHOTO-UTMOGMPHERS.wAswNGwN. un

@www

To all whom 'it may concern:

U TED *STTES NT Flr).

ANSLElVI L. BURKE, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO .ADAMS & JOHNSONOO., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE HORSE-COLLAR.

Be it known that I, ANsLnM L. BURKE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Adjustable Horse-Collar, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to adjustable horsecollars.

As collars for horses, mules and other draft animals are now ordinarilymade, they range or vary in what is known as stock sizes from 17 to 22inches, larger or smaller sizes being known to the trade as specials. Tobe able to accommodate his trade a dealer is obliged to carry in stockcollars of each of the stock sizes, and to a small dealer this isfrequently burdensome. Also, it is frequently the case that an ownerwill often exchange his animals-smaller for larger ones, or vice versa.It is inconvenient and expensive for him to purchase each of the sixstock sizes. j

To provide a spreader-loop which is slidable on the billets in order toincrease the efliciency and usefulness of the collar, whereby the endsthereof may be brought into juxtaposition and the pad centralized withreference to the neck of the animal and to the ends of the collar, andto thereby furnish amore perfectly fitting and neater appearing collar,constitutes the primary object of my invention.

To provide a collar so constructed that it l is readily adjustable tofit the necks of animals varying to quite an extent in size, and whichcollar, especially at the upper or bearing portion thereof will at once,upon being fitted to the animal, assume the shape of the neck,constitutes a further object of the invention.

To provide a collar combining simplicity with strength constitutes astill further object of the invention. v

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of parts, and selective arrangements and disposition ofparts for co-action, the scope of which will be pointed out in theappended claim.

A collar embodying the structural peculiarities, and showing thecombination, mutual relationship and selective arrangement of the partsthereof, is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September '7, 1909.

Patented J une 7, 1910. serial No. 516,423.

Figure l is a front elevation, showing a collar adjusted to its centralposition; Fig. 2, a similar view, showing the collar adjusted to itssmallest position; Fig. 3, an enlarged fragmental detail, a plan of thecollar adjusted to the position shown at Fig. Q; Fig. il, an enlargedperspective of the pad forming a part of my improvements; and Fig. 5, aperspective of the haine-strap guide, enlarged.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals, the same one indicating thesame part in the different figures thereof, 2 represents the rim or rolland 3 the back or padded shoulder portion of my improved collar d.Instead of drawing the end portions 5 of the collar inwardly, or curvingthem, as has heretofore been done, l so construct them that each isapproximately straight-in other words, they converge toward each othertoward their extremities rather than curve so that their ends abut whenin normal or loose position. One of the end portions is equipped withordinary buckles 6 and keepers 7, the buckles being set back a shortdistance from the end of the collar. Fixed, preferably by stitches 8, onthe other end are billets 9, adapted for engagement with said bucklesand loops. The stitching 8 does not extend entirely to the extremity oft-he portion 5, in order that a slidable spreader loop l0 preferablyriveted together at its central portion to provide a separate loop foreach billet 9, may stride said billets and rest on said portion 5 whenthe collar is in its smallest adjustment, as shown at Figs. 2 and 3. Thefunction of the spreader loop will be more fully hereinafter described.A haine strap guide or centering device ll, preferably a U-shaped orchanneled casting, is suitably secured to the spreader loop. It will bemanifest that the haine strap may be instantly placed therein or removedtherefrom without unbuekling any straps or without running it through aloop. If preferred, the same rivets which divide the spreader loop intoa double one may be used to secure the haine-strap guide thereto.

The pad shown comprises what I may term a base l2 constructed preferablyof an inverted U-shaped plate of zinc or other non-resilient metal,which base is fixed to and surmounts a somewhat larger leather Contactpiece 13. Reinforce strips 14C of leather extend transversely of theplate l2,

and rivets secure the parts 12, 13 and 14 together. The ends of thereinforce strips 14 are elongated, and after the longitudinal edges ofthe contact piece 13 have been flared upwardlyto effectually preventchafing or galling-they are riveted to said flared edges, whereby thelatter are securely held from falling, even under the most unfavorableconditions. A securing strap or loop 16 is fixed to one end of thecontact piece, and a similar strap 17 is fixed to its other end, thestrap 17 being provided with a double keeper for the ends of thebillets.

I may now state that I prefer to make two sizes of stock collars-one toinclude 17, 18

and 19 inches, and the other to include 20, 21 and 22 inches. As shownat Fig. 3, each billet is provided with three apertures, spaced one inchapart. These matters, it will be evident, are optional.

Supposing it to be desirable to fit an animal having a 21 inch neck witha collar, and the one illustrated in the drawings to include that size.rlhe operator after having placed the collar in the usual manner willengage the buckles with the central holes in the billets (which may bedie stamped with the size if preferred,) and will place the spreaderloop in the position shown at Fig. 1. Should he then desire to fit thesame collar to an animal having a inch neck, he will, after havingpositioned it, engage the buckles with the last aperture, as shown atFig. 2, placing the spreader loop in the position there shown. It willbe evident that the straps 16 and 17 will permit the pad to freely slideto automatically adjust itself to place, and that the force exerted bythe act of drawing the billets into engagement with the buckles willalso slightly contract the zinc and thereby the contact piece of thepad, and the Zinc being non-resilient will retain its shape and size.Should it-be desirable to fit the collar to an animal having a 22 inchneck, the last holes will be utilized, the operator having previouslydrawn or spread the ends of the pad apart and having placed the spreaderin central position.

The feature of the slidable spreader loop being movable with referenceto the billets, the collar-ends and the pad, is more than a formalstructural one it is functional and adds greatly to the perfectfulfilment of the purposes and objects of the invention. Its importancelies mainly in that when the buckles are engaged with either of thebillet-apertures and the collar per se somewhat loose, said loop may beslid to any preferred position thereon, but always equidistant from bothends of t-he collar. If it were not slidable, but was secured or fixedto the pad, then when adjustments of the billets and buckles were madethe pad would not be centralized with reference to the animals neck andthe collar ends, and the result would be an ineflicient collar. Again,and equally important, with the loop slidable to the position shown atFigs. 2 and 3 and the buckles set back as shown, the collar ends may bebrought into juxtaposition, or to abut, as shown at said figures,whereby not only a more perfectly fitting and neater appearing collar isprovided, but a greater adjustment of approximately two inches ispermitted, the same length billet being used.

Having thus set forth the preferred construction, and having' recitedthe purposes, advantages and operation of my invention, I claim as newand desire to claim as new the following, to-wit:

In a horse-collar having upper end portions adapted for adjustmentstoward or from each other, billets stitched to and on the surface of oneof said end portions but free therefrom for a slight distance from theextremity thereof, buckles fixed to and on the surface of the other endportion of said collar a slight distance from the extremity thereof,said buckles adapted for selective engagements with said billets, and aspreader loop loosely mounted on said billets and adapted to rest in oneposition in rear of the billet end of the collar proper, whereby it isremoved from between said end portions and whereby they are permitted toabut.

In witness whereof, I hereunto sign my name this 7th day of August,1909, in presence of two witnesses.

ANSLEM L. BURKE. lVitnesses A. S. HAMILTON, I-I. M. RICHARDS.

